Nome residents may have had the old George Gershwin song (“A Foggy Day”) running through their heads early last month, as KNOM’s hometown was shrouded for days in thick fog (not to mention, low-30s temperatures and snow in June!).

In Western Alaska, fog isn’t just a curiosity (or mere fodder for song lyrics); foggy weather can last for days on end and cut off KNOM’s listening communities from access to the outside world. Without a road system, our listeners depend on aircraft to transport food, mail, and people, and when the fog is thick, bush planes – like those in Nome, pictured – can’t fly.

Among those waylaid by the fog was volunteer Dayneé Rosales, whose trip to a whaling festival in the community of Point Hope had to be cancelled in the wake of repeatedly grounded flights. Challenges like these are but a sample of the difficulty of life in rural Alaska. It’s one of the reasons why our mission exists: when transportation is greatly limited, communication (via the radio) becomes even more important.

[hr]

This article is part of the July 2013 edition of our newsletter, The Nome Static.

For a town of just 3,000 people, Nome receives lots of air traffic: including this Coast Guard plane a few days before Christmas 2011. For travelers to southern Alaska or to the Lower 48, air travel is the only way out.

As you may know, the Western Alaska communities that we serve are not connected to the state’s road system. Our ability to travel and to transport goods is thoroughly dependent upon commercial and cargo airlines and, especially, upon the weather. Lately, low visibility and other poor conditions have forced the cancellation of a number of Nome-bound flights.

When our planes don’t fly, cargo (mainly food) and weary passengers end up waiting days to arrive at their destination. Fruit and vegetables bound for rural Alaska may sit for days in warehouses and on runways; the food often spoils, and many frozen foods thaw.

Last week, KNOM’s newest volunteers, Daynee Rosales and Eva DeLappe, were due to arrive at our mission to begin their respective years of service. However, both were diverted to Anchorage when fog and other poor conditions prevented their flights from landing in Nome. After layovers of 12-24 hours in Alaska’s largest city, both Daynee and Eva finally arrived at the Nome airport to hugs and happy smiles from the KNOM staff.

Daynee and Eva have just begun their two-week training programs. We are so thankful for their service.